Speaking to Interview Magazine, Cowell was asked if his success in the music industry has had an effect on his life ambitions.

"If you had met me at 30, we would have been having a very different conversation," he said. "At 20, you're cocky and you think you can rule the world, and you get it all wrong.

"At 30 I was probably getting quite nervous and understanding that this is a ruthless business, and if you don't have some kind of control over your destiny, you may have a problem."

The 51-year-old continued: "And I suppose that's the best thing I have now. I feel that I have control of my life.

"Even though the public is still going to ultimately decide what's going to happen, at least you can make the decisions yourself. You haven't got to ask lots of people what they think. And you can have the opportunity to make and do what you want to do."